Question

Explain why mitosis is called equational and meiosis is called reductional division?

Answer 1

Hint: Mitosis is a type of cell division in which a single cell divides into two identical daughter cells. The daughter cells produced in this cell division are the same as the parent cell. Meiosis is a cell division in which a single parent cell divides twice to produce four cells which have half amount of genetic information.

Complete answer:
Mitosis is a type of cell division where the chromosomes replicate and equally distributed into two identical daughter cells The number of chromosomes in each daughter cell are equal to that of the parent cell which is thus called diploid. Therefore, the mitosis is known as equational division. As the name suggests there is an equal number of chromosomes in each daughter cell therefore, the division is called equational division. Hence, the mitosis cell division is called equational division. Example if parents cells have 18 chromosomes, then in the daughter cell when produced from mitosis division have 18 chromosomes each.

Meiosis is a cell division in which the number of chromosomes and amount of the DNA in daughter cells reduces to half the number of chromosomes. The division occurs twice in parent cell due to which the chromosomes reduces to half and thus called reductional division. There is diploid number of chromosomes in the daughter cells in the meiosis cell division. Hence, the meiosis is called reductional division. Example if the parent cell has 16 chromosomes then daughter cells when dividing meiosis division, the chromosomes are reduced to 8.

Note: The number of chromosomes remains equal in the mitosis division but they reduce to half in the meiosis division in the daughter cells. They both divisions are totally different from each other and produce different types of daughter cells.